


The Pact of our Youth

by SeleneJessabelle12626



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream Team-Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Sleepy Boys Inc., Video Blogging RPF, mcyt
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, DreamSMP - Freeform, Drista Supremacy, Everyone will probably be mentioned, Friendship, No Romance, One Shot Collection, Post DreamSmp Election, Post DreamSmp Festival, Pre DreamSmp Festival, no romantic relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27071464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneJessabelle12626/pseuds/SeleneJessabelle12626
Summary: “What’s this?”“My code. I think this whole war thing is stupid but I had fun hanging out with you. If you ever, ya know, wanna hang out or like need a partner to cause a little trouble. Gimme a call. Us minors need to stick together right?”A series of one-shots of Drista joining DreamSMP
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Drista
Comments: 76
Kudos: 888





	1. Hurt and Grieve but Don't Suffer Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Topazgirlygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topazgirlygirl/gifts), [auburnrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/auburnrose/gifts).



Tommy had known it might come to this. The moment Wilbur had spoken those treasonous words Tommy had known. He’d hoped, desperately that it wouldn’t, that Wilbur would see reason, that he could talk Wilbur down from the brink, that someone, _anyone_ would see and step in. But in the end, the ultimatum had arrived. 

And Tommy would be the first to admit that he himself was _not_ entirely innocent. He’d let himself get swept up in his emotions and the chaos that was the end of the Festival. But there was a difference between violence and destruction for the sake of seeing everything crumble and fighting for a friend. Tommy had watched with horror struck eyes as Technoblade, _his own brother_ , had pulled the trigger on Tubbo. What happened after that was a blur. 

He remembered screaming and leaping into the crowd from the rooftop perch they’d taken. He remembered the feel of his sword hitting metal and flesh alike. He remembered shouting and strikes against his own Netherite armor. He remembered hearing Wilbur yell about the button, _the damn button,_ but the explosion never arriving. He remembered waking up in a bed that was not his with nothing but the lingering feel of a wound in his gut. 

He’d run for Pogtopia after that, desperate and terrified, relief flooding him as Tubbo came into view in the tunnel. He’d wanted to hug his friend, engulf him in his arms and just ground himself that he was alive, but they were on borrowed time. Any moment someone could find them, Wilbur, Schlatt, _Techno_. So they’d run and run and run until they’d reached the comfort and familiarity of Pogtopia. 

As one by one, the members of their group arrived, Tommy had only felt his resolve grow. He was angry, fuck was he angry. He was angry at Techno for killing Tubbo, he was angry at Schlatt for orchestrating it all and he was angry at Wilbur for still, after all that, not changing his stance on the matter. If anything Wilbur was _more certain_ about destroying everything they had fought for. 

Niki and Tubbo had looked to him while Wilbur regaled Techno about his goals, a glint in his eyes that made Tommy truly worried for him. Techno smirked in reply, a dangerous grin that did nothing to reassure Tommy that he wouldn’t lift his blade at any moment. Neither man noticed as Niki and Tubbo slunk off, nor seemed to care when Tommy left the safety of the ravine for the surface above. 

By the expression on their faces, the two newest members had clearly only just realized what Tommy had been warring with for the last week. Sure he’d told Tubbo when Wilbur had first started showing signs but hadn’t seen the truth of it until now. “He’s gone insane!” was all Tubbo could cry, as though he’d not believed it until he saw the evidence with his own eyes.

“That’s not the Wil I know.” Niki looked truly hurt, her voice wavering. He’d seen the stunned expression in her eyes when Wilbur had so casually ‘caught her up to speed’ on his plan to blow up l’Manburg.

“I know. I know.” He chose not to meet their eyes, leading them away from the cave as the sun began to set. He didn’t want to think about the two men below the surface and what they were plotting. He looked up to them, or at least, he had. Now he wasn’t so sure. He’d looked up to another man once, at least until that man had declared war on the fledgling revolution Tommy had helped build and shot him in the chest with an arrow. Tommy still hadn’t forgotten the way his heart had stopped when, only a few days ago, Dream had stepped between him and Wilbur, cementing where his support lay.

Dream had been the last person Tommy had ever thought would choose a side, especially not theirs, but yet, he had. In fact, at first, when Dream had said he would “support them from the shadows” it had given Tommy hope. With Techno and Dream on their side, even if they were hopelessly outnumbered, surely they could actually make a difference? Sure he’d been a bit confused by Dream choosing to take their side, after all, they were the ones who had openly declared themselves free from _His_ rule. 

Again, Wilbur’s voice rang in Tommy’s head. “ _The enemy of my enemy Tommy._ ” Was Dream ever truly on their side? Was he ever on anyone's side but his own? Where did his loyalties even lie? With George and Sapnap? George had stood by Schlatt’s side on that podium on election day, had been Quackity’s running mate. Sapnap had hardly shown his face in weeks, the first time Tommy had seen him since the war had been that stupid squabble over a pet fish. All three of the “Dream Team” had been beyond elusive with their appearances and loyalties. 

Except. For one.

Tommy’s communicator suddenly felt heavy in his pocket.  
  
_“What’s this?”_

 _“My code. I think this whole war thing is stupid but I had fun hanging out with you. If you ever, ya know, wanna hang out or like need a partner to cause a little trouble. Gimme a call. Us minors need to stick together right?”_  
  
“Tommy, what do we do?” They’d come to a stop on the cliff overlooking the lake valley that stood between Manburg and Pogtopia, the sun dipping lower and lower in the sky. Tubbo had placed down a jukebox, their normal process whenever a serious talk needed to be had. The gentle sound of one of his discs was enough to keep them grounded, reminding them of all they’d been through but also of the time before the war, before L’Manburg. Standing here, he finally felt a sense of hope. He wasn’t alone. He may have lost the people he looked up to but that didn’t mean he had no one. 

Tubbo was smart, smarter than most people gave him credit for. Niki was by far one of the most underestimated people Tommy had ever met, but he hadn’t forgotten that she had once trained under Techno. And Tommy, he had spent a long time as second-in-command and despite what Wilbur claimed so vehemently, Tommy knew he was capable of leadership. 

He pulled out his communicator and typed a quick message then looked both Tubbo and Niki in the eyes. 

"We're gonna build up again. We're not here to tear everything else down. We're here to reclaim what's ours. Schlatt is a villain and he's proved that tonight. We can't go down like this. We've got to get more people on our side and we've got to take back L'Manburg. Because not only do we have to take down JSchlatt, we've got to take down, everyone. And maybe, just maybe, we can get some more people on our side." 

They met his eyes with confidence, a loyalty he’d once seen directed at Wilbur. “I think it’s time I introduced you to a friend of mine.” 

_Drista joined the game_


	2. Today of All Days

“Technoblade! My man! Why don’t you come up here?” 

“Will.” Tommy muttered, eyes trained on the stage as Techno reluctantly stood from his seat. “Will we’ve got to do something. Wilbur I don’t like this!” 

“It’ll be fine. Techno’s on our side. He’s on our side.” There was a waver in the former president’s voice, an uncertainty that Tommy hadn’t heard since the day of that stupid election. 

Out of the corner of his eye Tommy could see the crowd muttering to each other, just as unsure as he felt. Even Techno, normally so sure footed, seemed to be dragging every step out. This was not how things were supposed to go. This was not the plan. Tubbo was supposed to say the words and run for cover while Wilbur ran for the button. It was not what Tommy wanted to happen but he trusted Wilbur and Tubbo was in agreement so it couldn’t have been _that_ bad an idea. 

Except now Tubbo was in a concrete box and Schlatt was ~~laughing~~ cackling like a madman. 

“Wilbur we need to do something!” He finally brings himself to tear his eyes from Tubbo and look at the man who he’d promised to follow no matter where he led. Wilbur’s eyes were wide, not with the borderline madness Tommy had seen from him a few times in recent memory but in fear. Wilbur, who seemed to always know what to do or at least to have a plan, was silent. 

Schlatt was saying something, spitting venomous words at Tubbo and Tommy and Wilbur, going on about dictators and traitors and treason. Tommy could hardly hear him over the beating of his own heart in his ears. He needed a plan, needed to take action, do something, anything. 

But what could _he_ do? 

He had his best armor, he had Dream’s crossbow. He could kill Schlatt right now where he stood but what would that accomplish? Schlatt would only respawn and come right back. He could make a run for the button but if what Wilbur had said was true, Tubbo was trapped directly above the largest cache of TNT. There had to be something that could be done! 

Tubbo’s eyes suddenly met his, wide with fear and adrenaline, a silent plea for someone to help him. 

_“Tubbo. Tubbo, Wilbur’s lost it.” Tommy was suddenly back in time to a week prior (had it really only been a week?), sat beside Tubbo on the cliff overlooking no man’s land._

_“What makes you say that?” And there was so much innocence in Tubbo’s voice, a disbelief that his friend’s could do no wrong._

_Tommy bit his lip and looked away from Tubbo, wringing his hands. “Tubbo I- I can’t tell you but just, the Festival. The Festival is not going to be a good day.”_

_“What do you mean? The Festival is gonna be great. I’m in charge of planning it.”_

_“You don’t understand Tubbo!” Tommy interjected, doing his best to keep as calm as possible. “Wilbur-Wilbur’s not the man he used to be.” Tubbo had gone entirely quiet beside him, processing and mulling over the revelation._

_Slowly he looked up and turned to look at Tommy. “How do I-? How do I know you’re not just saying this?”_

_The record that had been softly playing had come to a halt, a heavy, loaded silence falling between them. For a long moment neither teen said a word, looking at each other with painful uncertainty. Then, Tommy reached into his pack._

_“Tubbo I’m going to trust you with something. I want you to keep it and keep it a secret. I want you to know you have it and not let anyone else know.” He pulled out one of his discs, an original that he’d kept secret since the end of the War for L’Manburg. “Whatever happens, know that we have to trust each other.”_

_“Always Tommy.” Tubbo agreed with a solemn nod and a small smile “And because I know I can trust you, I want to show you something.” He walked to a nearby enderchest and rummaged through it for a moment. “I think, well im 90% sure, that with that one-” He held up two music discs, identical except for the colored stripe around the center of each. “-I have all three original discs.”_

_“You have all the discs.” Tommy repeated, eyes wide in astonishment. As far as he’d known, the other two original music discs had been scattered across the lands, changing hands as bargaining chips ever since he’d given them to Dream._

_“I think so at least.” Tubbo confirmed, his smile growing seeing Tommy’s expression._

_Tommy let out a shuddering breath, a realization of what this truly meant. He walked back over to the bench, Tubbo following behind him. “Right now, we could-. I mean, we could just run away from here. We could have everything we ever wanted.” Tubbo’s eyes widened as he came to the same understanding._

_“We could start a new life. We’d have everything we care about. And we’d never have to-” He paused mid-sentence, the full weight of the idea settling in his mind. It was Tommy who eventually broke it._

_“No,” he started quietly. “-we can’t. We’re here for L’Manburg. We’re not giving up now.” Beside him Tubbo nodded. “We’ll get it back Tubbo. But we can only trust each other. I don’t think we can even trust Wilbur anymore. Right now, right now, he wants to make the Festival the worst day of everyone’s life. We can’t trust him but we can’t give up on him. And Whatever we do, we can’t give up on each other.”_

Techno shifted on his feet and Tommy couldn’t see Tubbo anymore. Techno’s entire body blocked his view as he pulled his crossbow from beneath his cape. 

“He’s on our side. He won’t hurt him.” Wilbur was muttering beside him though it sounded far more like a self-reassurance than one for Tommy. “He’s on our side. He’s on our side.” 

He watched as Techno slowly raised the weapon and Tommy was a breath away from leaping from the building when a flash of turquoise caught his eye. 

Crouched on the roof of the White House, grinning white mask practically a glowing beacon of hope was-

"Drista." 

He doesn't think she can hear him. She shouldn’t be able to logically, but still, he saw the edge of the mask turn towards him, the slight upturn of a smirk on her lips from beneath the bottom edge of the circle. 

She raised two fingers to her forehead in a mocking salute, then in a flash of movement and enderpearl sparkles she was on the podium. The cutting edge of one axe, gleaming enchanted netherite, now poised at Schlatt’s throat. Her other axe was held just behind her, a deceptively loose stance to anyone who didn’t know how Dream fought. 

The commotion of a new arrival had them all scrambling for weapons, Techno’s aim shifted from Tubbo to Drista. The mask on her face wasn’t exactly subtle but it’s clear that _she_ is not the man whose world they inhabit. Tommy doesn’t think Schlatt has ever met Dream but it’s not as though the mask could symbolize anyone else. 

"Who the fuck are you?" The President questioned above the noise of the crowd, eyes narrowing. 

“Wilbur we have to go now! This is our chance!” Tommy urged, pulling out Dream’s crossbow as he got to his feet.

“Who-” Wilbur began but Tommy was already pulling him to his feet. 

“She’s a friend of mine, don't worry about it right now. We have to save Tubbo!” 

“What are you? Some sort of Dream wannabe?” Schlatt’s voice had lost a bit of it’s mania, a trickle of fear replacing it.

"Dream _wishes_ he was me. But clearly you haven't heard, this is my server. Now get the fuck out." 


	3. My Opinon You've Got

"You're a child." She said matter of factly. They’re out in the forest collecting wood for the purpose of building ladders. The big fuckoff tower (badboyhalo had reprimanded him for that) was getting tall enough now that not only was it a general inconvenience to everyone in Manberg but was very quickly becoming an inconvenience to keep building. He’d offhandedly complained about something, a blister on his hand maybe, and incited her commentary. 

Tommy rolled his eyes "Once again you are  _ younger _ than me." She’s a few trees over, steadily chopping one after another. She had already exhausted her normal routine of threats that were unlikely to be followed through unless he rose to them. He was glad she wasn’t being quite as annoying as usual, he really was not in the mood. Between the upcoming Festival, Wilbur’s plan to blow up Manburg, and worrying about Tubbo constantly being on the verge of discovery by Schlatt, Tommy had far too much plaguing his mind. He didn’t need Drista of all people poking fun at him.

"Which is why neither of us should be involved in this stupid war thing." Tommy paused, froze midswing of his axe. "We're kids. You, me, your friend uh-"

"Tubbo"

"-Tubbo. You both shouldn't be fighting. Let the adults, or at least the people older than us deal with it. It's boring anyway. I'd much rather be digging a really big inconvenient hole or building an even more inconvenient tower. Dre was telling me about it and it all seems pretty stupid anyway."

He swung around to glare at her. How dare she downplay everything he’d fought for! He’d fought tooth and nail to declare freedom from  _ her _ brother, given up his most prized possessions to ensure that freedom, been exiled from his home by someone he thought he could trust after already having been betrayed by one of his closest friends. What right did she have to call the war stupid!?

“ _ Dream _ gave Wilbur loads of TNT with the purpose of blowing everything up! He wants to perpetuate the fighting, kill everyone and see everything destroyed! I can't just let him-"

"I could give  _ you _ 'loads of TNT' if you wanted but why would I?" She interrupted, resting her axe over her shoulder as she turned to face him. She had her hip cocked and head tilted in a questioning posture, as if inviting him to try and explain himself. For a moment the sight of the mask made his stomach churn, with her hood up and axe in hand he could almost imagine it was Dream standing there were it not for the difference in clothing and height. 

"It'd make digging the really big inconvenient hole easier." Tommy mumbled in reply, looking away while trying not to feel like a reprimanded child. What was he thinking? He was right. She was wrong. She was just shy of a literal  _ god _ . Why waste time worrying about what she thought about him? "But that's not the point! I have to do the right thing, you don't understand all we've fought for. I can't just give up now." 

The mask tilted the other direction and she swung the axe down from her shoulder, turning away from him. "Well you could but I guess I see your point." She said but then after a moment sighed "Such a stubborn child." Before Tommy could sputter an indignant reply or really say anything, she stowed her axe and started walking out of the forest with her hands in her hoodie pockets.

"Where are you going?" He called, quickly picking up the logs he’d harvested and running after her.

"If we're gonna stop your crazy friend, we're gonna need resources, no better place to get them than by digging a really big inconvenient hole in the ground." She called back over her shoulder. The angle of her head afforded him a glimpse of the face beneath the porcelain, at the way her lips had turned up into a mischievous grin. 

Wait, had he just won the argument? Had he really convinced her to see his side of things? She could be more stubborn than anyone he ever met, himself included, and he’d somehow convinced her? 

"Hey Tommy?" She said as he caught up and fell in step beside her.

"Yes Drista?"

"Last one there is a loser!"


	4. Whole and Unbroken

The crack of a pickaxe on stone echoed through the cavern beneath Pogtopia. Wilbur and Techno were out hunting for Gods knew what, so Tommy had decided now was the best chance to try and get materials for himself and _his_ rebellion. Drista had offered to join him while Tubbo and Niki gathered resources from the land above. They had a thriving wheat farm hidden away from prying eyes and Tubbo had made a hidden room full of supplies to brew potions, something no one else in Pogtopia had even bothered with. They were still short on minerals though, diamonds especially. They’d discovered a lava lake and were carefully working on mining around it.

The heat was sweltering and for the first time since the Festival Tommy was a little bit grateful that he’d lost his armor. Netherite was protective, there was no doubt about that, but it also wasn’t without its drawbacks. It was heavy and hot and hard to move in if you weren’t used to it. Of course, people like Techno and Dream and others well used to fighting were plenty strong enough and hardly seemed to notice it’s weight. Tommy on the other hand, well it would be a lie to say it hadn’t weighed him down a little when he’d first made a set. 

Drista had shed her hoodie not too long after the discovery of the lake, tossing the turquoise fabric aside carelessly in a heap, leaving her in the plain black shirt he’d seen peeking past the edges of the hoodie. Both of them were sweating, hair sticking to their foreheads as they broke stone after stone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fiddling with the mask on her face, identical in every way to her brother’s. 

Tommy had never seen Dream’s face. He knew that when his hood was down he had dirty blonde hair. George claimed he had green eyes behind the mask (not that George knew what green looked like) but Tommy had no way of knowing if Drista looked like her brother or not. She had the same hair, albeit longer and tied back in a braid that seemed to constantly be on the verge of falling apart. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least _a little_ bit curious about what she looked like beneath the mask. But it was the same way he was curious about what Dream looked like. Just wanting an answer to an unknown thing. 

Finally they reached the other side of the lake, both diamondless but slightly richer in redstone and iron. There was a cave on the other side, pitch dark but full of potential. “That sucked. Why is the good stuff always by lava?” Drista complained, sitting down on a ledge while Tommy went a bit into the cave to lay down some torches. 

When he turned back, his eyes widened to see a familiar smiley face on the ground beside Drista. Did she? There was no way she- 

“Hey do you have an extra water bottle in your pack? I drank mine already.” 

The mask smiled up at him innocently but Tommy suddenly felt like he was committing a crime or doing something that would end up with him on the business end of a crossbow. Should he look away? Should he close his eyes? Surely someone who wore a mask all the time wouldn’t necessarily want anyone to see their face. 

“Tommy did you hear me?” She started to turn to look towards him and of course his panic response was to turn around entirely in an action that was in no way subtle. “You good?” She asked. 

“Yep fine, just fine, uh let me check about that water. Yep nothing wrong here.” 

“Well you’re an idiot if you think that was remotely believable. What’s wrong? Is there a monster or something? Is the big man scared of a wittle monster?” Her words dipped into a teasing lilt that almost always got a rise out of him but right now he was far more concerned about if he should even mention the mask or not. 

Apparently, the lack of response only made her more suspicious because he heard her get to her feet behind him, bits of stone crumbling and tapping on the floor. “Tommy, I'm serious. Are you alright?” 

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder “I’m fine really! Just fine! Nothing’s wrong!” 

“Ok you idiot what the hell is your problem then?” 

“The mask!” he blurted. "You took the fucking mask off and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It's like Dream's entire being is to be all mysterious and shit and to make a big deal about it and you had the same one, so if you don’t want me to look I didn’t want to-" he was rambling, he knew that, but really, what did she expect him to do? Not notice or react? He had nightmares about that mask sometimes, even now. His mind had elevated it to a symbol of some kind of power. An icon of elusive power and near invincibility, as if it were the mask he should fear and not the person who wore it. He knew _objectively_ that Drista was not her brother and that he could trust her, but he couldn’t quite separate things in his mind. Stupid subconscious. Not to mention the whole idea of respecting people's privacy. 

“Wait really? You’re freaking out because I took the mask off? Of course I took it off, I'm sweating like hell under it. That thing is like a single piece of solid ceramic, I have no clue how Dre wears it _all the damn time_. But, that’s not what you’re freaking out about are you.” Silence fell over them for a moment, only the gentle crackle of torches and soft lava pops making any sound.

She removed her hand from his shoulder and took a step back “Tommy, turn around. It’s fine. I’m telling you to turn around.” 

Slowly, Tommy did as he was told but still kept his gaze on his shoes. “Look at me idiot.” 

As he looked up the first thing Tommy noticed was that her eyes were in fact green, but not the bright neon Tommy imagined Dream’s were. Instead they were closer to the darker green of emerald. She had a light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose and a number of loose tendrils of blonde hair curling past her forehead. For someone who he was pretty sure had _some_ sort of god-like power she looked remarkably normal. Though really, he wasn’t sure what he expected because George swore up and down that Dream looked normal beneath the mask.

“Dre wears the mask because he’s a drama queen. You’ve seen him. He’s the biggest fucking nerd in the world. He literally told me to wear it to keep up his illusion of mystery. I only agreed to wear it in the first place because he wasn’t going to let me come to the smp without it. He thought that it would keep me safer, like a symbol that we were related or something. I guess it did though if you reacted like that.” She stepped back again, held her arms out wide and did a little twirl. “So this is what I look like, tada! Now are you gonna be chill or are you still freaking out?”

Tommy glanced down at the mask, still unassuming on the ground, then back to her. She was right. It was just a dumb piece of ceramic. It wasn’t anything special. It was like Wilbur’s beanie or Techno’s crown, a personal symbol, not an actual symbol of anything else. Just something to mark them as who they each were. “Not gonna lie-” he started to say as his heart rate began to settle again “still a bit weird but I think I’m fine. Sorry to uh, freak out.” 

“You’re good kid.” She smirked but then her eyes lit up and the smirk turned mischievous. “I have an idea.” In a smooth action she picked up the mask and one of the small stones she’d kicked loose earlier. “Clearly you’ve got _some_ sort of trauma with this so let’s try and fix that.” She walked over and handed him both the mask and the stone. “Go on, give it a whack.” 

“Wait what? You want me to-?”

“Yeah. It’s just like ceramic or something, see what happens if you hit it. And maybe this way Dre’ll agree to let me stop wearing it.” 

“I don’t know, this kinda seems like a bad idea.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. Just go for it. C'mon it’ll be fun.” 

Somewhat reluctantly but without any real reason, Tommy set the mask down on the floor and crouched down next to it. What could possibly go wrong? It was just a piece of ceramic. It wasn’t enchanted or magic or cursed or anything no matter what place the stupid thing took in his thoughts. Just hit it with the rock. Easy. 

He shut his eyes and swung down. The sound that resulted was sharp and echoed through the cavern but not nearly as loud as Drista’s “Oh, _c’mon_ _now_. Don’t be a wimp. Hit it harder!” 

He glanced at her but readjusted his hold on the stone so that a different edge pointed down then swung once more. And again, and again. There was no way he’d ever admit to her that instead of a ceramic mask on a cavern floor, he imagined the man wearing a mask on a boardwalk bridge, the stone replaced by an arrow. A second chance at winning the duel that had cost him his life. 

Tommy blinked and he was back in the cave, Drista cheering behind him. There was a chip missing from the bottom edge of the mask and a hairline crack stretching diagonally across it. “There you go kid! Stick it to the man!” Drista erupted into ecstatic laughter behind him, hefting him to his feet and high fiving him, uncaring of the lack of enthusiasm in his response. 

In the end this was nothing more than a game to her. A funny little prank on her older brother. But something in his gut was uneasy about it. For now he’d blame it on his trauma. She was right, it was just a piece of ceramic. Nothing more. 

He stood there, holding the mask in his hand while she ran back to retrieve her hoodie. The black eyes seemed to stare back at him, judgmental and warning. He jumped when she appeared out of nowhere, snatching the mask from his hands as she ran into the cave ahead of them. 

“Come on, these diamonds aren’t gonna find themselves. We promised a half a stack to the others and I am not going to be the one taking the blame if we come back empty handed.” 

He hefted his pickaxe over her shoulder and followed her into the darkness, unable to shake the feeling that he had just made a terrible mistake.


	5. Life as a Worthy Opponent

Drista knew inherently what she and her brother were. They were not mortal. Supposedly, they were officially known as ‘gods of combat’ though she’d always thought it was a dumb title. Sure, she wasn’t half bad with an axe and she hadn’t seen anyone - besides a single, fellow combat god - win in a duel against Dre, but the title still felt wrong. Dre agreed with her to a certain degree. “It’s luck.” He often said. “I’ve just got good luck.” She’d dubbed him a god of luck instead of combat as a joke one day, but then it had stuck between them.

She liked to think of herself as more of a trickster god rather than combat. A casually placed foot mid-fight to trip a foe versus a sweep of a blade to their knees, a well timed quip or joke to get into their head, or if it really came to it, a sneakily executed cheat to give her the advantage. She didn’t have quite the same undefeated record as her brother did but she certainly wasn’t anything to sneeze at. She’d been taught by the best after all.

That was why Tommy had insisted she help him train. She’d been reluctant at first because she herself was still in training. And if she understood this whole war thing, Tommy already _had_ someone to train him. The very god who’d managed to best Dre. 

“I don’t want anything to do with that _traitor_ right now.” Tommy had spat when she’d mentioned it. “As far as I'm concerned, he’s just another one of the enemy.” She’d said nothing in reply. She hadn’t been around for the Festival thing they all refused to speak about. Even Niki, who was usually willing to at least give her the facts despite it clearly being hard for her to talk about, simply shook her head and had a faraway look in her eye. 

“That’s why I need your help Drista, why _we_ need your help. Dream is the only one who ever got close to beating Techno-” 

‘ _He did nearly beat him’_ Drista considered interjecting, the duel had been close, decided by a single strike in the final round.

“-and you learned from Dream. We won’t stand a chance as we are but if we can get better then we might at least be able to slow them down long enough to diffuse the TNT.” At least he seemed to realize that none of them would _ever_ win in a fight against both Techno and Dre. Though she’d not seen a single sign of her brother since she’d arrived, only heard about what he’d ‘gifted’ to the madman in charge of Pogtopia. 

She’d relented, but something in her had twisted and churned at the thought. She understood why he’d asked it of her. His logic was sound. She felt a _little_ bit used but in the end she had come to the smp and joined his side to help them win. There was going to be fighting. 

_Hopefully Dre would stay far, far away._

It was late that night after they’d all gone to bed that she decided to take a chance. The strange feeling in her gut hadn’t faded and she wanted answers. She wanted answers about a lot of things. She knew she was young and prone to not getting all the information she needed before making a decision. This war was a prime example of that. Tommy had called her for help and she’d agreed. It was only after she’d promised her help that she got more information about the war as a whole. In the months prior, she’d heard Dre mention things in passing but never bothered to ask him to elaborate. It hadn’t mattered to her then. Now, she wished she’d paid more attention and learned more. Which was why she was currently descending into the ravine on silent feet. 

The quiet was almost unnerving, just the gentle crackle of torches and the monotonous drip of water. But as she got deeper she heard the soft crunch of dirt. Of course he’d be farming. 

Drista paused at the bottom of the staircase, suddenly nervous. Technically speaking, the other god was an enemy. An enemy she did _not_ have good odds at defeating if it came to a fight. And with the others all asleep, there was no reason for him to hold back to keep up appearances. Still, she wanted answers. And hey, she and Dre liked to think themselves lucky.

Wringing her hands slightly she walked into the farm. 

“I was wondering when you’d show up, kid.” He called from the middle of the crops. His cape had been set aside but otherwise he went about his planting in his full regalia, complete with crown upon shorn short pink hair. “Your brother know you're here?”

“He’s not in charge of me!” She snapped instinctually but regretted it immediately for how childish it made her sound. 

“You’re right. He ain’t. Not now that you’ve picked a side.” He stood up straight and rubbed his dirt covered hands on his pants. “I doubt Tommy sent you down here. So you wanna tell me what did?” He began to make his way back over to her, or perhaps to the chest beside her. There was nothing threatening about his stance or really about him at all right now. He didn’t even have a weapon on him, that she could see at least. In fact, if she didn’t know any better she’d think he looked rather ridiculous farming in his fancy clothes.

“Why are _you_ here?” she asked, meeting his eyes when he got close enough. He towered over her but she liked to think she was hard to intimidate, even if she had seen this man do terrifying things with a weapon. 

“I’m farming potatoes. What’s it look like I'm doing?” he replied and behind her mask Drista glared. “Let me finish, kid. I’m farming potatoes because a coupla guys I consider brothers asked for my help with their rebellion.” 

“And how does farming potatoes help a rebellion?” She didn’t even bother trying to temper the snark in her voice. By this point she was confident he wouldn’t attack her so there was no reason for her to try and appeal to his better nature. 

“Rebellions need food.”

“But they also need strength. That’s why they asked for your help. Tommy told me so.”

“And I'm lending them that too. But right now, I’m farming potatoes. Just like right now, I bet you’re wondering why you weren’t so opposed to doing something you’d normally refuse to do.”

Drista froze and said nothing as he moved past her to rummage in one of the chests. “Let me guess, Tommy called you to help him and his friends fight against me ‘n Wilbur. And you agreed because he’s your friend and you wanted a chance to do something for yourself. But you didn’t know just how complicated this war was. You just wanted to help your friend, not join a wholeass war that you don’t understand the point of but here you are, already having promised your help. That sound about right?” 

He stood up and turned back towards the farmland without bothering to wait for her answer. “Your brother was smart to stay as far away as he could. Things got complicated after he decided to let Tommy ‘n Wilbur have their own country.” He dug his hoe in the ground and set back to preparing the soil without pausing in his monologue. “But he should have stayed away. I get wanting to help, especially wanting to help Tommy because he’s just a kid, but knowingly or not he tied himself to them. Tied himself to Wilbur. He chose a side. And now it’s comin’ back to bite him.” 

“How does this have anything to do with anything?” She questioned when he finally stopped speaking. She’d come to him for answers, not a lecture about the choices she or Dre made. 

“Point is, _they_ don’t understand all the power they really have. And _we_ don’t want ‘em to. If they knew that it was their intent that pushed our actions, you can only imagine what the outcome of this war might be.” He paused, settling his hoe on his shoulder for a moment and wiping at his forehead with his wrist. “Didn’t your brother ever teach you all this? Or are you just choosing to ignore it?” 

“You’re trying to tell me that because Tommy wanted me to train him to fight that I did? As if I didn’t have any choice in the matter? That’s a load of bs.” She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. 

He looked at her with an entirely blank expression. “That’s exactly what I’m saying kid. We’re not like them - you, me, your brother. None of us got involved until Tommy or Wilbur asked us to. They didn’t pray for help but as far as the magic is concerned they did. They needed combat strength so I gave it to them. They needed resources so I got them. Wilbur wanted destruction so I acquired the means. Same thing happened to your brother. Wilbur was smart enough to go to Dream and because Dream had already given supplies to them he had no way to refuse when Wilbur asked for TNT. It’s how it works kid. They asked their friends for help, and because their friends happened to be gods we had no choice but to agree. The moment you agreed to help Tommy a contract was formed. He asks you to train him, you train him.”

He must’ve seen the way her eyes widened because his stance softened, almost seemed to shrink in on himself as if to make him appear less threatening and serious. “I’m not saying we can’t disagree. If I wanted to tell Will to fuck off I could. So could you. But think of it as a sort of suggestion. Now that you’re aware it’s easier to ignore.” He came over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright kid. You’re young. You didn’t know any better. Dream shoulda told you before he let you get involved. But now it’s up to you to decide how _much_ you do want to be involved. I’m staying because I do want to help Will and Tommy both. I imagine Dream poofed as quick as he could because he _doesn’t_ want to be involved anymore than he already is. You get to decide.” 

Drista said nothing for a long moment, trying to comprehend everything he’d said and figure out just what it meant to her, the stance she wanted to take, the place she wanted to occupy, the role she wanted to play. She did want to help because Tommy was her friend. She didn’t want to see an entire city exploded to smithereens, she wanted to smack her brother for giving a crazy guy the means to do it. She just wanted to have a peace in which she could hang out with her friends and cause a little trouble. She wanted to go back to the day she spent with Tommy building that big stupid tower just to annoy the people who lived in its shadow. And if it took winning this war to get back to that peace, then did she really have another choice?

“One last piece of advice kid, Tommy is capable of more than he knows. He just needs someone to believe in him. I believe in him but right now it’s not my opinion he wants or needs. He needs it from his friends and people he trusts. I hope you can be one of those people.” 


	6. Conjecture and Gloom (A Wilbur Soot Interlude)

The land across their settled world was littered with secrets. Storerooms and hidey holes and bases known only to their creators and those closest to them. Most were innocent enough, built to keep valuables away from prying eyes or as a place of refuge in case of emergency. But there were still exceptions to that norm. 

Beneath the hill that housed the Manberg White House was a hidden room. Not a bunker, for it was not reinforced for strength. Not a secret storeroom, for it held only the most meager of supplies. Certainly not a base, the only comfort in the form of a single chair. No, this was a control room, _the final control room_ it’s builder thought bitterly. He sat in the chair, hunched forward so that his elbows rested upon his knees and his chin atop his clasped hands, fingers loosely steepled in front of his lips.

His gaze was fixed upon the single wooden button set on the wall, unlabeled and unassuming. 

_“Wilbur this isn’t right.” “Tommy-Tommy I’m afraid I’m going to have to step in.” “Schlatt won’t give up easily.” “The only universal language is violence.”_

_“Am I the villain in your history?”_

**“I heard that there was a place~”**

_“Tommy we’ve tried my ideas. I’m willing to listen to you.”_

**“Where men could go and emancipate~”**

They were all just so _short-sighted_ . Couldn’t they see what he did? There was no trust! There was _no_ future where L’Manburg could be rebuilt. Not now, not after everything that had happened. Sure they could tear down _Fundy’s_ new flag and replace it with the original. Yes they could rebuild the walls that had been torn down. But this land would never again be the L’Manburg that _he_ had founded. It ceased to be that nation the moment the election was lost. And wasn’t that just a _lovely_ lesson? He’d had everything. Power, loyalty, and above all, freedom from the green _bastard_ that ruled these lands. If he hadn’t let it get to his head he would still have it all. He’d been a fool to ever suggest the election. ‘ _Consolidating their power’_ What a load of horseshit that had been. And now look at him. Dressed in rags and forced to live beneath the earth to survive. Oh how far the noble had fallen.

He knew Tommy was disappointed in him, disagreed with him. Was confident that they _could_ in fact take ~~Manburg~~ L’Manburg back. That with enough help on their side they could oust Schlatt and take back their land. And bless his heart, Tommy believed it so wholeheartedly he was willing to stand _against_ Wilbur. Perhaps Wilbur should have been concerned that Tommy might actually manage to oppose him, particularly now that he knew where the button was, but in the end Tommy was a child. A naive child who thought that as long as he was the hero that he would win. Wilbur knew better. He knew the world didn’t work like that _at all_ . That sometimes, to get what you wanted, to _win,_ you had to be the bad guy. 

**“It’s a very big and all blown up~”**

He looked up when he heard footsteps behind him. Probably Tommy, come to make sure he wasn’t going to push the damn button. With a quiet sigh, Wilbur plastered on his best innocent expression, a lie on his tongue about his purpose here but when he stood it was not Tommy standing in the hall. Instead, a white mask stared back at him, beady black eyes boring into his soul.

Wilbur blinked and let the over dramatic innocence bleed away, Dream was an ally. Well as close to an ally as Wilbur had. He at least wouldn’t try and convince Wilbur against his plan, he’d been the one to furnish it in the first place. “Come to see what I’ve done with your contribution?” Wilbur called with easy confidence, gesturing with a showman's grace. 

But then Dream stepped further into the room and in the better light, Wilbur realized that his hoodie was not startling neon green but more blue toned, almost turquoise, and he was nearly a foot shorter than Wilbur. 

“You’re not Dream.” Wilbur said, eyes narrowing. He lowered his hands to his belt where his sword was strapped but did not yet draw, wary and waiting. 

‘Dream’ reached up to their hood and lowered it, revealing a shoulder length braid of dirty blonde hair. “No, I’m not.” 

“Who are you then? A friend of his?” 

“You could say that.” Not-Dream replied, _her_ voice leaning towards condescending. 

“I suppose my question still stands then. Have you come to see that my promise to him has been fulfilled? Take a look for yourself, this is merely the tip of the iceberg, the entire place is rigged. A push of this button and he’ll never have to worry about anything again. He’ll be free of this war. Just like he wanted. No more Schlatt. No more Pogtopia. No more L’Manburg. Simple as that.” What was it that had he told Tommy? “A power vacuum ready to be filled presented to him on a silver platter.” 

She said nothing, stood there with her hands in her hoodie pocket, the mask staring at him soullessly. What was this? An intimidation tactic? An effort to scare him into backing down? He didn’t break eye contact despite how much he wanted to- _fuck that stupid mask-_ but wracked his brain for the words he wanted, a plan of action, anything. That was when he realized it. He’d seen that color before, he’d seen _that hoodie_ before. Niki had been wearing it one morning after she’d come in from a late night lookout shift. He’d asked where she’d gotten it and she’d taken just a bit too long to answer before eventually claiming it belonged to a friend of hers. 

Ever since Niki had come to Pogtopia, Wilbur was under no impression that she agreed with his plans. In fact he was pretty confident that she was doing her best to _actively_ work against him. But his plans were far too gone for her to have any chance at stopping him so he’d pretended not to notice. Despite what they thought, he wasn’t blind to the rebellion Tommy was trying to brew against him. The rebellion that apparently this Dream lookalike was a part of. 

“Tommy send you to stop me then?” He demanded, sneering at her, confident that he could catch her off guard by the fact that he’d put the pieces together. She did not react, not past the slight shift of her weight and tilt of the mask. Like a predator accessing its prey. 

“Say something _dammit!_ Try and stop me! I dare you! Report back to Tommy that I’m here! Send what forces you have to destroy this!” he flung his arms wide “Make me the villain!” He was shouting, his own voice deafening in the small stone room. “Fuck Tommy! Fuck all of them! IT’S MY L’MANBURG AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN!” 

An axe appeared in her hand in one smooth movement, enchanted netherite he noted, entirely unsurprised. But before he could react either to pull his own weapon or lunge for the button, she vanished. 

Wilbur was left heaving with breath, alone once again. His hair had fallen forward during his tirade, beanie slipping off his head. With a shuddering breath he reached up to fix it and put himself back together. He straightened his coat and extinguished the torch, pulling out his comm as he resealed the door that hid his room from discovery.

Fine. If Tommy wanted to play at intimidation, then Wilbur would beat him at his own game. He tapped the single neon green contact and typed out a message with a smile on his face as he muttered the final line of his new anthem.

**“And** **_soon_ ** **Manburg will have the very same fate.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional music referenced in this chapter: 
> 
> "I'll Let It Burn" by Kanaya


	7. More Courageous to Rise Above

"So this is Pogtopia-" 

"No wonder you're such a loser, this place  _ is _ shit."

Tommy turned back to glare at Drista. He’d invited her to see Pogtopia after she’d made a throwaway comment about how only idiots lived in giant inconvenient towers. He of course had defended himself that first of all, the tower was cool and served a bigger purpose and second of all he already had a base that was way cooler than the tower. She’d laughed at him and had demanded to see his ‘super cool secret rebellion base’ and obviously his pride had demanded he show her.

In an effort to make Pogtopia seem even cooler, he’d led her to the secret tunnel that led to the Prime Path. They’d bantered back and forth the entire trip, Drista making wild  _ and completely unfounded _ assumptions about Pogtopia. Tommy was proud of Pogtopia though, he was proud of what they’d done to the ravine to make it into a home. Sure it wasn’t quite as nice as L’Manburg, he’d admit that, but considering they started from nothing it was pretty cool. 

He’d even cut her off when they first emerged from the tunnel, ordering her to wait till she saw the upper ravine and what they’d done with that rather than down here where they’d hardly built it out. 

She, in turn, had interrupted him when he’d opened his mouth to brag at all they’d accomplished. He’d learned to recognize when she was trying to get a rise out of him versus her actual thoughts, so he knew she didn’t actually think it was shit. Ok maybe he had described it as a  _ little _ bit cooler than it actually was. 

Who was he kidding? The main entrance was a dirt shack dug into a hillside that was so small that it could hardly fit more than one person at a time. There was nothing of substance to the ravine either, just decorative bits of different materials to try and make it look nicer than it was. But did she not realize that this, all of it, had been built from nothing? He and Wilbur had found this place and made it livable with no supplies to their names, nothing but what they managed to forage on their flight from L’Manburg and what they and Techno had harvested after. He had so little to be happy about right now, so little to not worry about, so little to be  _ proud _ about. He didn’t know where she lived (he assumed it was wherever Dream was hiding out, somewhere far from the conflict) but all things considered he was  _ proud _ of Pogtopia!

"Well sorry  _ Drista _ not all of us can have literal gods as a brother. Some of us got exiled from our countries by a ugly goat man of all things and had to figure it the fuck out."

His eyes widened as soon as the last word left him. He hadn’t meant to snap at her like that. Her mask stared back at him, what little he could see of her face, expressionless. “I-I, uh” he looked away from her “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not your fault. None of this is. It’s not Dream’s either. Well, it sorta is, but nothing to do with the election was his fault.” With a sigh he sat against the wall and slid to the floor, pulling his knees up and putting his head in his hands. “I just- everything has gone to such shit and I just want something to go right. I’m so fucking tired of losing. Everytime I think things are starting to go our way, something else happens.”

He didn’t look up as he heard her join him on the floor. The last thing he wanted was for her to see any sort of emotion on his face, nothing that would give her  _ more _ ammunition to tease him with. He was already prepared for her to make some jab about all of this being stupid or that he cared too much. He knew she thought everything about the war and the election and the factions was dumb, she’d made that abundantly clear. 

Shockingly though, she reached over to put her hand on his knee. 

“It’s dumb I know. I shouldn’t be-”

“It’s not dumb. Well it is. But  _ you’re _ not dumb. You shouldn’t have to worry about all this. You should be with the rest of your friends just messing around and building dumb things like we did. You shouldn’t have to  _ have _ a secret base hidden in the ground because people you trusted betrayed you. That’s what I think is dumb. You’re allowed to be upset. Especially after with the way Wilbur has been acting.”

Tommy looked up finally, turning to stare at her. “You know about that?” She didn’t look at him, mask straight ahead. At this angle he could just see beneath it, a little bit of her hair and the corner of her eye. 

“Dre told me. Told me to steer clear of Wilbur if I could. It’s kinda why I came to hang out with you today. I didn’t want you to have to deal with that alone. And you don’t really have anyone besides me to talk to.” 

“I have friends-”

“Name one other person you know that wouldn’t use what you told them in this war or get mad if you mentioned it.”

Tommy opened his mouth to argue that Tubbo would  _ never _ but then reluctantly closed it. Maybe it was Wilbur’s paranoia getting to him but right now he wasn’t sure how much he could trust Tubbo. 

“That’s what I thought. Point is, even Dre thinks Wilbur’s gone off the deep end. Don’t ask me why he still gave him TNT, I think he’s a dumbass for doing that. I would’ve, I dunno, hit Wilbur or something. Try and knock some sense into him. But what do I know?  _ Dre’s  _ the brilliant one.”

Tommy frowned and put one of his hands on top of hers. “For the record, I think you’re smart. And way funnier and cooler than Dream. I’d rather hang out with you than him any day and that’s not just because he shot me in the chest in a duel and stole my music discs.” 

She chuckled softly in reply “Well obviously I’m funnier and cooler. He’s a dork. But thanks.” 

They lapsed into silence, both mulling over their own thoughts. He wished they hadn’t had to have this conversation. Not that it didn’t help, but that it’d been necessary in the first place. In another life, if things had been different and there had never been a war, he, Drista and Tubbo could have been friends from the beginning. They could’ve caused all sorts of trouble and done so many pranks, they could’ve been teenagers. Instead of whatever it was they were forced to be now. 

"You know Tommy, I could help you make it cooler down here. I  _ am _ an interior designer after all." She looked over and grinned at him, and for once, Tommy found himself eager to return it. He clambered to his feet and pulled her with him. 

“What did you have in mind?” 


	8. Life as Means to a Triumph

One of the first things Tubbo had done after he, Niki, and Tommy had decided to stand together was to make a secret base. To the others it would seem like he was staying in Pogtopia but he would keep his own stash of supplies hidden away. It hurt, to have to be so secretive around people he thought of as friends but nowadays it was almost necessary. That hurt too. He’d never been a particularly aggressive person, he liked to think he was fairly level headed and quite good at keeping calm in stressful situations. He didn’t mind not being in charge, didn’t mind following orders, didn’t mind lending a hand to someone who needed it. In a way it’s why he made a good soldier and a good spy. 

Sometimes he hated that about himself.

It had been easy back in the beginning to fall into that role, just doing whatever Wilbur and Tommy requested. They were his friends, they had this grand plan of succession that he didn’t honestly think was necessary but in the same way that he didn’t disagree with. He was neutral on the matter. At least until someone on the ‘enemy’ side had made things personal. That was the turning point for Tubbo, when he really dedicated himself to L’Manburg. 

He’d done his best to help, gathering what supplies he could, going above and beyond what was asked of him, making himself an invaluable asset and earning a reputation for it. He liked that, being known as reliable and able to accomplish nearly any task. It gave him pride even as he worked for hours alone in the mines. 

The end of the war had marked what he and the others thought would be a turning point. They’d lost, quite soundly in fact, but then Tommy had sacrificed everything to give them the freedom they’d fought for. They’d celebrated in Tommy’s name, celebrated their freedom, their victory, their L’Manburg. And Tubbo thought that would be the end of it. 

But then Wilbur had gotten the idea of the election into his head. And if Tubbo had thought about it, paid a little bit more attention, looked a little bit closer, he would have seen the very first sign of the downward spiral that was to come. 

His reputation had preceded him, leaving him trapped in ~~L’Manburg~~ Manburg while his closest friend and leader ran for their lives. Schlatt was not the same leader Wilbur was. Tubbo did not feel the desire to go above and beyond but he could do nothing but agree with what the president said. He was afraid, far more so than he’d ever been during the war. At least during the war he’d had his friends by his side, even after the betrayal the few of them still had each other. Now. Now Tubbo was practically alone. On the long nights he spent doing work for Schlatt Tubbo thought of the time before the election. He thought about L’Manburg but he also thought about the life he’d had before any of that. Back when the smp had only a handful of people. Things had been so different back then, it had been basically just him and Tommy. He knew how much Wilbur meant to Tommy, recalled how excited he’d been when Wilbur sent word that he was on his way. Tommy would do almost anything to impress his older brother and Tubbo had been excited for him. Tubbo liked Wilbur, respected and looked up to the older man, but sometimes, he wondered how things might’ve been different if Wilbur had never come at all.

When he’d agreed to spy, he hadn’t known how hard it would be. Sure he’d basically be putting a constant target on his back but by that point he’d made himself almost invaluable to Schlatt, sometimes it seemed he was doing more work than the President himself. It couldn’t be _that_ risky could it?

And then Schlatt had announced the Festival.

And then Tommy came to him in secret, red faced and panicked, claiming Wilbur had gone mad.

And then Wilbur had come to Tubbo, telling him of his plans, forcing him to get involved.

And then Tubbo had built the Festival grounds with his own two hands, pretending he didn’t see flashes of a dirty beanie slinking about.

And then the day of the Festival had arrived and he was face to face with Technoblade, a crossbow pointed at his chest.

And then he woke up at home with his ears ringing and his chest aching, screams and sounds of commotion filtering from the nearby festival grounds. 

He didn’t blame Techno. Sure he was mad but he of all people knew how hard it was to say no to Schlatt. No one else had seen Techno’s face during that moment. No one else had seen the regret in his eyes, the soft apology he’d uttered, the effort it took him to pull the trigger. No, Tubbo didn’t blame Techno. Techno had only gotten involved with this at the call of his brothers, their desperate call for allies against Schlatt. It had never been formally declared but everyone knew that Techno was only here for them, not because he held a grudge against Schlatt or wanted L’Manburg back. He came because, while he was a notorious loner, everyone knew he would do anything for those he cared about. 

Hearing Wilbur encourage Tommy to be angry, to fight on Tubbo’s behalf made him sick to his stomach. He remembered the President of L’Manburg, who insisted on wars fought with words instead of swords until given no other options. The orator. The man who stood calm and tall when the weight of the world was against them. That man was gone now, replaced by someone who had turned to violence and destruction as means to an end. And Tubbo could not bring himself to follow that man. He and Niki had fled from the depths of Pogtopia and had looked at each other with silent fear until Tommy had joined them. Tubbo felt guilty, leaving Tommy to deal with _that_ all alone for so long. 

But Tommy had reached his own breaking point. That was when Tubbo had met Drista.

She was their age, his and Tommy’s, a little younger even (though she had the habit of calling Tommy a child which seemed odd) and she was apparently _Dream’s sister_. According to Tommy they’d met a few weeks back on a day of random peace where Tommy had been fed up with Wilbur. He’d gone to cause trouble in Manburg (Tubbo had wondered where that giant cobblestone tower had come from) and the two of them had gotten on like a house on fire. She’d refused to take part or take sides back then, declaring all of them idiots for getting themselves into this mess but still had come the moment he’d called. 

Tubbo liked Drista. He thought she was funny, appreciated her confidence and blunt way of speaking to them. She was smart and strong too, not surprising considering who her family was. She taught them all combat techniques Tubbo would never have thought of on his own. She wouldn’t give them any materials, (“Dre would kill me for sure”) but she knew more about where to find things than any of them did and would lead them to dungeons and unexplored caverns and ravines. The one thing she told them without any shadow of doubt is that when the time came she _would not_ fight with them. She would not and could not fight against her brother, who at this moment, had chosen to support Wilbur in his endeavors to blow up Manburg. 

Tommy had been a bit annoyed at that, he was willing to fight his brothers, why wasn’t she? And Tubbo saw his point but also wasn’t sure that when it came down to it if Tommy _could_ bring himself to stand against Techno or Wilbur. So it wasn’t fair to expect Drista to do the same. Unfortunately for Tommy, Drista was smart, she could tell that Tommy was upset with her and had chosen to excuse herself instead of taunting him for once. 

Tubbo had found her in a tree nearish to their hidden base, sat upon a branch near the top, munching on what looked to be a golden apple. “You know-” he called up to her “he does understand.” 

She turned to look down at him, the mask practically glowing in the moonlight. “He doesn’t deserve you Tubbo. None of them do.” She replied, gesturing for him to climb up and join her. It was tricky but eventually he did, sitting on a wide branch that he was pretty sure would hold his weight.

“What do you mean?” 

“I hardly know you but I know you are too kind for your own good. It’s going to get you in trouble.” Oh, that was what she meant. He looked away, out toward the horizon like she was. He’d thought about it before, in his lowest moments, had considered refusing, considered taking his belongings and running away, leaving it all behind to crumble. But he always went back to the before times. Back when it was just him and Tommy and Dream and his friends messing around and just building this world from nothing. 

“Sometimes I think it already has.” He admitted quietly. 

“Then why do you stay? Why stay involved with this? Why fight?” She asked, sounding for once not like she knew more or better, sounding like the child she was, that they all were. 

He didn’t have to think long about his answer. “Because I want my friends back. I want things to go back to how they used to be. I know it won’t ever be like it was before L’Manburg but there was a time of peace that was pretty close. I think that we can go back to that. And I'm pretty sure Tommy feels the same way.” He sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk. “I’m tired of fighting. I’m tired of spying and hiding and questioning who I can trust. I just want this all to be over.” 

She said nothing for a long moment, her hands in her pockets and face toward the horizon-line. Then, she held out her hand to him. In it was a small sack, bulging from whatever it contained. 

“What’s this?” He asked, reluctantly taking it from her. 

“Don’t tell anyone I gave you that, especially Tommy or Dre. But hopefully it’s something that’ll help you end this.” She stood before he could open it, a shiny enderpearl in her palm. He looked up at her and opened his mouth to say something but before he could, she vanished in a glitter of purple speckles. 

Curiously, he opened the sack and his eyes went wide. With a calming exhale he closed it and stowed it in his pack, then climbed down the tree and began the journey back to his secret base. 

Hopefully she wouldn’t get in too much trouble for this. 


	9. Achilles Come Down (You’re Worth More Achilles)

“Tell me about your friends.” She demanded of him one day as they sat side by side on the edge of a cliff. The pinnacle of land seemed to touch the sky, so high that low-lying clouds drifted beneath them. Up here the air was chilled and heavy with moisture despite the sky being clear above. 

“You’ve met them.” He replied with a chuckle, handing her a shimmering golden apple. 

“Not George and them, the others. The new ones. There’s new ones right? I felt them.” 

He said nothing for a moment, pushing up his mask slightly so he could take a bite of the apple. Did he really want to tell her? She was curious, he would be too in her place, but she would most likely act on that curiosity and want to meet the newcomers to his smp. They were her age, which would only give her more reason to go. He knew she could take care of herself, he’d been the one to teach her how after all.

_ “Welcome Dream to our great nation. We are succeeding from DreamSMP.”  _

“What do you want to know?” 

~

“Can I meet them now that the war is over?” She asked, her eyes finding his with ease despite the mask he wore. 

_ “Well, that was pretty easy. The day I got unbanned from the DreamSMP. The day said I was running. I said things are gonna change. This place will be a lot different tomorrow.” _

“I think Tommy would like that.” 

~

_ “Tommy Tommy wanna see a trick? I’ll do MLG water.”  _ He watched her fail the trick but could not help but smile as their laughter echoed up from the bottom of the mine. 

~

_ “Dream. Dream. Let me be your vassal.” _

_ “Wilbur give me that TNT.” _

_ “Tommy I’m afraid I'm going to have to step in.”  _

~

“What are you doing here?” He asked her, wishing that he hadn’t required her to wear the mask. It made it harder to pin her with the glare that almost always made her abandon whatever trouble she was causing.

“Helping my friend. What do you think  _ you’re _ doing?” She replied, looking up at him with unwavering confidence. He wasn’t surprised that she was holding her ground, Gods knew she could be stubborn when she wanted to be, but it had never been over anything this serious. 

“What needs to be done. Go home. This isn’t your fight to be involved with.” 

“If it’s not mine then it’s not yours. But you already went and got involved.” 

Behind her Tommy shifted his grip on his axe, Tubbo loaded a crossbow, Niki palmed a splash potion. A quick glance at the surrounding area revealed Eret and Fundy perched upon the roofs of Manburg, both with bows pulled back and arrows nocked. He heard the shift of armor behind him and then Techno was in his periphery, netherite blade shimmering. He had no expectation of Wilbur stepping forward, he was more likely to sprint for his hidey hole than get involved in an actual fight. 

_ “If I let you go, promise me you won’t get involved. I’m done being forced into choosing sides and I won’t let you get dragged into this either.” he held up a pinkie for her to shake.  _

_ “I promise.” She said as she twined her pinkie with his.  _

“You’ll lose.” He told her simply.

“How do you know? It’s been awhile since we tested that out. Maybe I got better.” Her mask fit her face differently, sat high enough that he could see the mischievous grin he knew prefaced trouble. Her confidence had always been one of her defining features, whether it kept her out of trouble or got her into it. 

“Besides-” She smirked “Looks like you’re out numbered to me. You’re good but I dunno if you’re  _ that  _ good.” 

_ “I support you guys but I can’t get involved. I have to stay in the shadows.”  _

_ “I want to rig the city.”  _

“And not to call you out in front of your uh  _ friends _ or whatever, but you definitely told me not to blow anything up or break anything so I think it’s pretty rude of _you_ to do that. And you also totally made me promise not to get involved but again you went and did it anyway, I think it’s only fair that I also did. So since I am  _ clearly _ in charge here and  _ obviously _ the cooler and stronger person in all this I’ll give you a chance to surrender.” 

_ “Drista Drista Drista, you’re floating, how’re you floating Drista?” _

_ “You can’t be doing that in front of other people.” He reprimanded, struggling to keep the smile off of his face at her shenanigans as he pulled her to the ground.  _

“And if I do?” He looked her in the eyes, ignoring the sudden displeasure coming from behind him and the shock from behind her. 

“Then I don’t beat you up.” 

“And everyone else? Do you speak for them? How do you think this will end if you and I leave right now?” 

“Well the thing is, your TNT won’t work. And like sure you have Techno but-”

“What do you mean it won’t work?!” Wilbur interrupted, stepping forward with a glare. He turned to Tommy “What did you do?” 

“Excuse me, the grownups are talking.” Drista said smoothly, frowning at Wilbur. “As I was saying-” 

Dream watched as if in slow motion, Wilbur pulled his sword and moved to lunge towards her. Without a moment of hesitation Dream grabbed the back of Wilbur’s coat and spun him around, pulling his own axe and pointing it at him. 

“You diffused it.” He said, glancing at Drista without lowering his weapon. Wilbur had stiffened, his eyes flashing back and forth between the blade and Drista. 

“Well yeah, technically Quackity did while we were all here making idiots of ourselves. None of us want to see it blown up. Like I don’t really care about what it represents or anything but I worked really hard on that big inconvenient tower and I’d be super annoyed if it got blown up or was just like next to a giant crater or something.”

He wasn’t sure why he felt the urge to smile. Why he let himself chuckle until it grew and grew into a proper laugh. This was just like her. How could he have expected anything less? He knew her. He knew the way she thought, the way she played, the way she got away with so much. She’d outsmarted him. Simple as that. No one else joined in his laughter, but it didn’t matter, he could see the wide grin on her face. She’d accomplished the goal she’d set for herself. She knew she’d won. 

“Alright.” he said, still chuckling to himself as he lowered his weapon. “You win.” He turned back to Wilbur, who looked rightfully confused alongside the fury in his eyes at his plan being foiled. “She’s right. I did make her promise not to cause trouble or get involved. So it’s hypocritical of me to stay here and help you.” 

He turned and approached his sister, holding out his hand to her. “I surrender. You’re right. I’m wrong. This is stupid. I’m stupid.” Their apology to one another hadn’t changed in years. No matter what it was, they followed the same script. ‘You’re right, I’m wrong, this is stupid, i’m stupid’ and then in turn the other person would reply-

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” She smiled as she shook his hand. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. I still like you.” 

He took the chance to pull her into an embrace, ignoring the sudden feel of weapons trained on him to whisper “I’m proud of you.” into her ear. 

“I know.” She replied as he let go of her. “There’s one more thing to attend to.” She announced to the assembled crowd who were all in various stages of lowering their weapons now that the tension was seemingly diffused. She reached into her pocket to pull out her communicator, tapped through it for a moment then handed it to Dream. He took it, looked at it and when he didn’t recognize the number on the screen, looked back at her. 

Her grin had fallen away to a more solemn expression and this time it was Tommy who spoke up.    
  
“Wil. This is gone on for too long. You need help. I know you won’t listen to me but you will listen to Phil.” 

“That’s his code, we explained it to him already. All you need to do is press the button.” She whispered to her brother. 

“You wouldn’t.” Wilbur hissed, glaring at Tommy. “We agreed that we would keep this world between us.” He tried to step forward but this time it was Techno who held him back.

“He’s got a point Wil.” 

That was the only confirmation that Dream needed that this was the right choice. 

_ Philza joined the game. _


	10. How You Will Heal and You’ll Rise Above

“She asked how you were doing.”

“Dream.” He’s perched in a tree behind Tommy, sitting casually on a branch high off the ground. It doesn’t look like it could support his weight but yet it doesn’t even waver as the wind blows.    


“Told her you were just as annoying as always. She said she was glad being in charge hadn’t changed you.” 

“I’m not in charge.” Tommy shrugged, pulling out another stack of blackstone from his bag. The rebuilding of L’Manburg’s walls had been a discussion among them all. Some people argued that it was unnecessary, a waste of time and resources. Why erect walls if you were at peace? Tommy and Tubbo and surprisingly enough, Eret, had argued back that it wasn’t about the walls themselves, more about what they represented. The walls had been the first thing built on the grounds that would become L’Manburg. Schlatt had destroyed every other landmark they’d had, many of which could not be rebuilt the same as they had been. The walls could come back. The flag could come back.

“It certainly seems to me like you are.” Dream commented, jumping down from the tree. “You’re leading the reconstruction. You rewrote our treaty. You united everyone against a common enemy. Those seem like pretty leadery things.” He held his hand out, looking expectantly at the blackstone in Tommy’s hand.

When Tommy handed it over, Dream leapt at that half constructed wall, climbing easily up to where Tommy had left off and starting to build. The wall wasn’t going to be nearly as high as it had once been, but tall enough to make an impact.    


Tommy was about to open his mouth to ask why Dream was openly willing to help rebuild the wall but then he remembered the stance Dream had claimed he took. He preferred L’Manburg to Manburg, Wilbur and Tommy to Schlatt, peace to tyranny. Drista just wanted this all to be done. Neither of them wanted to fight or wanted these wars. They just wanted to be with their friends.

“And what’s she been up to then?” He called up to Dream as he worked. 

Drista had left soon after Wilbur and Techno, giving cryptic and half-hearted explanations of where she was headed. Tommy imagined it was because she wasn’t supposed to tell him where she (and likely Dream) lived and spent their time when they weren’t hanging around here. 

“Eh you know, trouble. The usual. I think you inspired her a bit, there’s a mysteriously tall tower that seems to grow by the day right on top of the ravine I'd been planning on mining. She claims it was a coincidence, I think she did it on purpose.” 

They built in companionable silence for a while until both ran out of blackstone. When Tommy ventured back into L’Manburg to restock, Dream followed him. As far as Tommy could recall it was the first time Dream had ever been within the bounds of L’Manburg without the potential of war or violence following him. 

“I never thanked you by the way.” He spoke up casually, hands intertwined behind his head. 

Tommy looked at him, his expression twisting with confusion. “What do you mean? Thanked me for what?”

“Lots of things. We may have had our disagreements but there’s a lot of good you’ve done around here.”

“Made a lot of mistakes more like it.” Tommy muttered. 

“We’ve all made mistakes. I made mistakes and I’ll own up to that. But I'm talking about the things you did right, the things I think are worth celebrating about you. As long as I’ve known you, which admittedly isn’t long compared to some people, you’ve done nothing but fight for what you believed in. That’s an admirable trait. Even when we were against each other, it amazed me that you continued to fight and stand up against us even after we’d beaten you down. I respect that. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t won that duel.”

Tommy said nothing, unsure how to take the praise. 

“But really, thank you. Thank you for showing me what can happen if you truly fight for something you believe in with all your heart. And thank you for being a good friend. I know I’m not the only one who appreciates that.” 

They came to a stop in the shadow of the remade flag, the fabric flapping softly in the breeze. Dream held out a hand to Tommy and said “I’m glad to leave L’Manburg in your capable hands, even if I still think it’s kind of a stupid name.” 

“You’re leaving.” Tommy stated as he shook Dream’s hand.

“I am. For a bit at least. I’ll be back eventually and if you really need me you know how to get in touch.” 

“Tell Drista I said hello and that she’s always welcome to stop by.” 

Dream gave a mocking salute as he stepped back, an enderpearl appearing in his hand from seemingly nowhere. “Will do. Good luck Tommy. Oh and by the way, Wilbur was wrong-”

“I think you’ll make an excellent President.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, wow. The story blew up in ways I never expected. Thank you to each and every person who commented, bookmarked, kudos or just generally threw love at this. I started writing this on sort of a dare from one of my dear friends and it quickly spiraled into something I'm very proud of. So just, thanks.
> 
> Special thanks again to Auburnrose for letting me shout at her about this and for beta reading and just generally being amazing. I encourage you all to go check out what she's working on. She's a brilliant writer and the fic i've seen bits of is just *chefs kiss*. Send her love and good vibes!
> 
> Finally to my lovely Topaz- Happy Birthday. This is all for you. Every single word. I am so incredibly grateful to have met you and to call you a dearest friend. You truly have made my life better by being in it. Love you. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Work title and Chapter titles taken from "Achilles Come Down" by Gang of Youths
> 
> Special thanks to my lovely friend Auburnrose for Betareading. <3 <3 <3


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